St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-17
TIE KICKING CHORUS.
& Still Continues to Sing Before the
New Interstate Commerce
Commission.
Plausible Statements Made in Behalf of
Lenient Treatment by All
Applicants.
Some of the Spectous Arguments ADJ
vanced by the Parties in
Interest.
General Railway Intelligence From
All Parts of the American
Continent.

WASHINGTON, April 16.--Befole the
interstate commission Hulmes Cummins
general counsel for the Louisville, New
Orleans II Texas Railroad company. spoke
in support of petition filed by that COM
pany. He described the line of the road.
and said it touched the Mississippi at both
terminal and at several intermediate points.
but lay at an average of twenty five miles
from the river along most of its route. 1t
thus came into direct competition with
water lines at several points. and it
became necessary to give lower rates
70 retain the business. He filed sched
uleS published by the barge and
steamboat lines showing that they made
lower rates to the competing points than at
way landings He then discussed the in
tentionS OF the trainers of the interstate
commerce law. and said that while they
had forbidden an increase of rates without
due notice, they had left full liberty to
make reductions at will. This is held to be
an evidence of a purpose to encourage and
promote competition, such as his road pro-
posed and wished to continue. The senate,
he argued, had in view these very circum-
stances when, by an unanimous vote. it
inserted in the bill the words. Under sim
liar circumstances and conditions" He
QUOTED OPINIONS
expressed by Senator Cullom in debate IN
support of the theory that this amendment
was intended to relieve the absolutiSm of
The original bill. The law-making body, he
thought. had also in mind the decisions of
she courts, both state and federal, upon the
point. Several of these decisions he cited
briefly. He argued that it was individual
discrimination alone which was obnoxious
TO the laws, and that DISCRIMINATORY
which treated all Observation-Disclosures
which was necessary. as in the case Of his
company to secure a share of competing
traffic. was not to be disturbed. Believing
this to be the right Interpretation OF the
law, his company in the most good
faith was acting in accordance
with it, but if it were in the Judgment of
the commission an erroneous Interpretation.
then he asked the relief described in the
petition, namely, the privilege Of meeting
the rates of water lines at competing points.
The northern connecting lines from Kansas
City and St. Louis to Memphis held differ
emily, believing it illegal to make lower
rates for long than short hauls un0er any
circumstances, unless expressly authorized
by the commission. Owing to this diverg-
ence of opinion through traffic was now
suspended. All this was an additional rea-
son for prompt decision of the point
by the commission. Mr.. Cummins
also stated that the associated
fines in whose behalf the long and
short haul clause was temporarily Sus
pended ten days ago were, under their in
depreciation of that order, making rates to
interior points which his road was unable to
meet. AS he was about to conclude his re-
marks, his attention was called to COM
plant from Port Gibson, La, charging his
road with unjust discrimination against
that place and in favor of Vicksburg. The
complaint set forth that the rate upon cot
ton from Port Gibson to New Orleans was
S1.75 per bale while for the longer haul
from Vicksburg only IS cents was charged.
The people, it said, had expected lower
rates as an effect of the interstate COM
merce law. One thousand bales were now
awaiting shipment. Mr.. Cummins said he
plead guilty to everything charged. This
was exactly what his road was doing and
what it asked leave to continue to do. The
rates given by the road from Port Gibson
are. he said. fully 81 bale lower than the
prices paid for hauling before the road was
built. Howard Morris, attorney. and Will
lam s. Mellen, general manager of the
Wisconsin Central lines, presented petit
lion and brief in its support, asking that
the operation of the long and short haul
clause
BE SUSPENDED
in so far as it prevented them from accept
ing traffic at rates fixed by water lines, and
by more dilect rail lines between the vari-
GUS terminal points. They set forth orally
that the denial of this privilege would com
pei them either to reduce local rates below
the paying point or abandon all through
business. A printed petition has been re-
ceived by the commission from the Iowa
Barb Steel Wire company, of Marshall
town, Ia, stating that up to the
first of the present month the
company has had an equal
.zed rate'' of freight charges upon its
receipts and shipments That is, the
through rate from Chicago to the Missouri
river being 25 cents, the company has paid
Is cents for bringing its raw material from
Chicago to Marshalltown and 10 cents for
transporting its finished product from Mar
shalltown to the Missouri. Under this ar
rangement it has built up reasonably prof.
table business of $500, 600 year, has given
employment to large numbers of men, and
has contributed much to local prosperity by
furnishing a home market for farming
products. The railroad company, fearing
the penalties of the law and not having any
decision of the commission sanctioning this
eQualiZed rate, has now suspended the az
rangement and has made rates from Chicago
to Marshalltown and from Marshalltown to
the places of consignment of the company's
goods. which are enormously higher than
the rates from Chicago to such places of
consignment. AS a result of this action the
petitioner must either ship at great finan-
cial loss OF shut down its factories
and discharge its employees. The margin in
the business has for some years been very
close. the company is carrying large stock
and the season of greatest consumption is
at hand. The system of making equalized
rates has been customary in the Northwest
and the petitioners case is represented as
similar to that OF hundreds Of other estab-
lishments. The petitioner, therefore, asks
that the system be sanctioned OF the opera
ton of the law be suspended until such
rln1a-, ! h.: